North Korea's latest missile launch moved the United States into new territory as the success of putting a satellite into orbit could also mean the reclusive country is one giant step closer to firing a missile across the Pacific.

The United States is examining information from Wednesday's launch to gather clues about the capabilities of North Korea's rocket technology that can be converted for use in long-range missiles.

Experts say the launch shows North Korea's rocket has the range to hit Hawaii and parts of the West Coast of the United States.

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told CNN's Erin Burnett on Wednesday he is "confident" the United States could stop an incoming missile from North Korea.
"The fact is, we do have a very strong missile defense that would be able to guard against that kind of potential," Panetta said in an interview that aired on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" on Wednesday.

But with the success comes more scrutiny of what the United States has in place to stop a missile should one be launched.

The type of missile North Korea launched Tuesday is considered a long-range intercontinental ballistic missile, meaning it is designed to deliver a payload long distances across the globe or into space, depending how it is configured. It is not generally designed to strike at short distances, such as Japan or South Korea.

The U.S. military had said it was on a heightened state of alert while it awaited the launch by the North Koreans. To prepare for the launch, the United States had satellite monitoring of the site. The military also had Aegis radar ships and other monitoring equipment positioned off the coast of Japan.

Those ships have a strong and reliable radar systems and sensors that can detect a launch and track the trajectory of the missile, and can also shoot down missiles in some cases.

Sitting off the coast of Japan, they wouldn't be "positioned correctly to hit a missile like this coming out of North Korea," according to a U.S. defense official. "However, their radars are extremely useful on telling us where the missile is going within seconds."

The North Korean government publicly announced where it intended the missile the missile to, a path that did not go near the United States. But protectively, the Pentagon had in place Aegis ships off Hawaii in case the rocket headed in that direction.

Those ships have the capability to shoot down a missile as it is falling toward the islands, according to a U.S. defense official familiar with U.S. missile defense systems.

Past launches of this type by North Korea, while unsuccessful, have shown that it has the capability to strike the main islands of Hawaii and possibly as far as the northwestern United States, said David Wright, a missile defense expert and co-director of Global Security at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

"This most recent launch is similar to the past ones, so we have been able to do some reverse engineering on the launches and get some idea of what they can do," Wright said.

The United States also has a ground-based missile shield with interceptor missiles in Alaska and California if North Korea, or another adversary, were to aim a missile toward the U.S. West Coast.

The United States has been testing this shield for years now with mixed success, but most believe it could protect against a basic missile launch with no decoy warheads to trick the radar system that would detect the incoming missile and guide interceptor missiles.

"There are people who believe that North Korea would not have decoys on their missiles. In that case we have plenty of interceptors," according to Wright. "I would argue just the opposite, if they did fire something we would likely not know what it would be carrying. It would be unlikely they would fire something that they hadn't put countermeasures on knowing about the U.S. system. I think the U.S. would not be able to rely on its missile defense system."

North Korea's launch culminated with the deployment of a satellite that is circling Earth from the North Pole to the South Pole. The U.S. military said Wednesday it does not believe North Korea has full control of the rudimentary satellite, a U.S official said.

The United States does have the capability to shoot a satellite down with the Aegis interceptor. In 2008, the military successfully tested whether a ship-based Aegis missile system could hit a defunct U.S. spy satellite.

U.S. military officials would not comment on whether the Pentagon might try to shoot down the North Korean satellite, but experts say it would be a highly unlikely move because the satellite appears to pose no threat.

"Shooting a satellite down is very similar to the kinds of tests the U.S. does with its missile defense systems. The satellite will be going about the same speed as a ballistic missile and it will not have any decoys," Wright said.

But he added, "The North Korean satellite was put into orbit about 500 kilometers (310 miles) and I think that's slightly too high for the Aegis interceptor."

Wright said the United States would have a better chance shooting a satellite at high altitudes down if it were to use its ground-based missile systems in Alaska or California.

U.S. allies in the region, like Japan and South Korea, have the ability to intercept a missile like the one fired Tuesday, but not if it is on an upward trajectory aimed at the United States. Their capability would be solely to hit such a missile in the later stages of flight if it were falling into their countries.

soundoff(340 Responses)

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Even if we blew up 1 ICBM coming towards us, dont you think the fallout would effect everyone. Lets just sit back for the last 15 years while these nut jobs develop our ultimate fate and tell us that they are 5-6 years away from this and that. Its gonna happen...scares the crap out of me.

Lets find a way to heat our houses and run our cars without the help of these people who hate us, cut off our oil dependency from these countries, then what do they have?...Nada! We knew this in the 70s and here we are still sucking off their only real resource that provides them capitol. OIL.

We use kinetic energy interceptors meaning solid block of dense metal traveling at high speed that rams a target missile. Even if the warhed is hit directly by a kinetic interceptor, the impact wil not cause a nucler explosion. It will scatter the nuclear debris but the effect is not like that of fallout from a nuclear detonation.

Considering that during the lasted Israeli massacre on Palestinians the Israelis weren't able to stop 100% of the Rockets from Gaza using technology which we sold to them, I don't think this is a true statement from the US Government. However, I don't think North Korea would do something like that. It would be a dumb move. They are just saber rattling like always and will try and use this to their advantage during negotiations with other countries.

Yes, first it wasn't a massacre on Palestinians. Your own comment contradicts that. Second, we aren't talking about small rockets and missiles that number in the thousands. We are talking about 10 or so intercontinental ballistic missiles. Big difference, much slower and easier to target.

First not sure how my own comment contradicts itself. If you're referring to the fact that the Palestinians tried to defend themselves well that doesn't mean it wasn't a massacre. I'm sure during WWII many victims of Hitler also tried in vein to defend themselves as well, however, it's widely recognized that it was indeed a massacre.

Second you have your physics mixed up. An intercontinental ballistic missile actually is much faster than the ones fired by Gaza. Long range missiles have to be travelling very fast just to get enough speed to enter earth's orbit and by the way are very hard to target. If they are so easy then why did the US fail so many times before they finally were able to hit one?

December 13, 2012 at 5:32 pm |

Ben Allen

An ICBM is not a slow and easy to hit target, While the RV is coming in on the target it is travelling about 16,000 miles per hour. It is so fast that if it were going top speed and had explosives detonated right next to it, it would outrun the explosion and not be affected at all. Also, the ICBM is only an easy target on launch. assuming these ICBMs would use MIRV's, you are talking about 8 or so RV's per rocket travelling at 16,000 miles par hour in on their target. and that speed is after getting into the thicker parts of the atmosphere. When they are really far up there, they are going so fast that nothing we have could hit them.

December 13, 2012 at 6:04 pm |

JD

Good job at comparing apples and oranges. Those two countries were side by side, hence smaller rockets being fired in larger numbers. N.K. is on the other side of the ocean, which means it would have to fire intercontinental rockets, large rockets fired in small numbers due to distance, size, and manning. Overall, your conclusive argument is irrelevant.

Let's see a bunch of people move to Palestine and kick the inhabitants off their land. Then, they rename it to Israel. Who are the terrorists again? Your name is Me. Hmm. That name suits you because it seems that is all you think about.

December 13, 2012 at 6:32 pm |

rkmkb7

NK now poses a direct threat to do irreparable harm to thousands of U.S. citizens. If the threat were immediate, that would be grounds for war, acc. to the SCOTUS in the Pentagon Papers case. Contrast with Iran, which does NOT pose a direct, immediate threat to do irreparable harm to thousands of U.S. citizens. I'm not opposed to taking steps to prevent Iran from posing the threat to America NK does. But military action against Iran, with none publicly proposed against NK? Absurd.

The United States actually has around 2,200 active nuclear weapons and is working to reduce that number down further to about 1,500. It really does not matter cause it is thought that as few as 15-20 would destroy the world.

By the way , if North Korea has a nuclear warhead on its new missile and fires it at the USA , I have read that we have a H- Bomb that destroys a radius of over 100 miles at its epicenter and a blast wave of 250 miles . Umm you know how much Americans like big explosive action movies ...wouldn't it be great to see the big event on CNN ....YIPPIE

Why is US, Israel etc are allowed to build/have nuclear weapons and others should not? Is it because you are superior than others? Please ask yourself that. I think we should all disarm then the world would be safe.

Here's my biggest question...where's North Korea getting this stuff? I know the answer is likely Iran, China, or Russia. But I still can't figure how. The NK economy is in the toilet and they really don't have resources to trade that I'm aware of. And I can't imagine any of those 3 countries giving this technology away for free. So how are they getting the resources to build these?

This is getting me really worried, the Notradamus numbers, the Aztec numbers, Gangnam Style nearly hitting 1B (the zeros will be nine) around this fiasco... I usually am not worried about this kind of stuff, but I;m getting a little nervous about what's next.

"the government thinks they can stop a Chinese Missile " I believe you are fairly ignorant of our military capabilities. We can do a lot of stuff you'd be amazed by. A lot of what we can do wouldn't even be traced back to us . . .

Pyongyang can launch as many missiles as they wish for their propaganda party. However, if they even try to attempt faking human 'spaceflight' like NASA and the Russians, those folks will have another thing coming. Faking humans in space after a rocket launch is OUR technology, with OUR launching pads, OUR deserts/studios and OUR cargo planes for the 'reentry' drops. We don't care if hardware disintegrates upon reentry at hypersonic as do meteors (confirmed during ICBM research), asrto-evolution is OUR invention, so we're not even going to pay attention to Pyongyangs rocket show........

If we are confident we can take down a North K. missile, then why didn't we just shoot down the first one. We knew the date, place, and time more or less to be ready. It troubles me more that they chose cheap words versus action.

We should have done that but thats way to easy. We will determine that we need to spend another $ trillion on a new missile defense system ( to replace the two we already have) and send NK another $25 mil in aid. This will hold us about 6 months until they fire another one.

Why should we shoot it down? If there was a real risk to us, the US would do something. It's better to allow these fools to show what they have to the world. We all should be more worried about what we don't see.

They weren't shooting at us. It's a satellite launch. If they made a hostile move at us, we'd tell China to make them shut up and sit down. We could wreck NK with five planes and they know it. No nukes, just carpet-bombs.

It's hard to blow somebody back to the stone ages when 98% of their country is already there. That being said, I think you're right – They can keep making themselves look like fools to the rest of the world as much as they want to. I'm more worried about the suitcase bomb from Iran than the flying piece of junk from NK...

December 13, 2012 at 3:40 pm |

Lisa

Weren't we confident we'd be in and out of Afghanistan in a year or two? And I believe Iraq was only supposed to take a few months. Nothing like government hubris.

U mean the one SK is still at war with? u know the country that is not miles away from the enemy but inches away....
so if your enemy lived across the street from u with 900 tanks aimed at your house, u r all about your cousin coming over for mischief night, shooting an RPG at them and leaving eh....

December 13, 2012 at 4:15 pm |

Thom Paine

The north koreans will lauch a nuke hit the west coast. ogama will spend 5 million in assembling a fact finding
committee to determine what went wrong.

Despite your lack of sentence structure and English skills, I hear what you're saying. To differ with what I think you said though. I'm going to guess that such an attack would be responded to swiftly and with due cause.

My apologies! I should have written (to be grammatically correct); "That said though, I'm going to guess that...".

Beyond that, if Obama (or as you call him, ogama) spends "5 million in assembling a fact finding
committee to determine what went wrong. (your words)", I think that's money well spent. Roughly the cost of deploying 3-4 cruise missiles.

I got to say that it takes a "lot" of presumption to believe that the North Korean leadership is not absolutely out of their minds. If we are judging them my sane standards then we are looking a the wrong people. That said, their tech is not so great. They are still dangerous and crazy.

December 13, 2012 at 3:48 pm |

bspurloc

So the USA is going to drop a nuke on NKs capital which would then spread nuclear waste to SKs capital?
ignorant americans should visit the DMZ so they stop thinking their front yard is how the world is

Thomas Paine once said, “Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself – that is my doctrine.” . Chew on that please.

December 13, 2012 at 3:39 pm |

bspurloc

the gop will then Start a blame Obama campaign to try and make everyone forget 8 years of bush, elect some tea party nut cases declare war on american citizens refuse to pay for bush's wars, call bush's war veterans freeloaders then declare mittens tax exempt...

Poor west coast liberals. Despite the fact that they worship the North Korean’s choice in government, they don’t understand that the North Koreans could care less, and would gladly nuke them if given the opportunity.
Is it considered a handout if we protect the west coast from nukes raining down on them? I’m split…

What a lame comment. Pathetic... At least us liberals are patient, thoughtful people. If Bush were in charge he'd simply go invade North Korea and we'd end up with another million dead and trillions of dollars in the hole.

The United States is examining information from Wednesday's launch to gather clues about the capabilities of North Korea's rocket technology that can be converted for use in long-range missiles.

We're always gathering clues. We should have hit that sucker with an airborne laser like we did with the North Korean's first launch. Maybe that's why they moved the launch up and fired it unannounced. But we should quit "gathering clues" and knock those test fires down.

You can't simply shoot-down another country's property when its fired over their own airspace. Think about it. What id NK shot down one of our missile tests? You'd be crying out for blood! But now you're advocating doing just that to them. It doesn't make any sense, your logic.

" We should have hit that sucker with an airborne laser like we did with the North Korean's first launch. " Stop listening to the crazies on the radio. Nothing like that happened. NK is bad at rocketry. Now we are leaning on China with things like "NK's rocket is making Americans shy about buying from China right now" and "if NK causes tensions between our countries, we will lose our supply lines, and so we are going to buy a third less from you while trying out other suppliers." Soon China will tell NK to knock it off before they lose money. All done quietly and without anger and drama.

All that NK needs to do is put just one nuke on the tip of a missile and detonate it high in the atmosphere some place over the U.S. causing an EMP blast knocking out a lot of the electrical infrastructure. This needs to be watched closely.

EMPs wouldn't get things in underground bases, like Cheyenne Mountain. If only Cheyenne had power, we would still have full control of our missiles. And we have warships and carriers, and our subs are nightmarishly well-armed. Attacking us is a BAD IDEA. Don't tug Superman's cape.

The problem isn't whether we can or can't beat North Korea. While we (and they) know that any attack on the United States or South Korea would be the absolute end of North Korea, we (and they) also know that any attack on North Korea (including a retaliatory one) would be the absolute end of South Korea. Right now, they have about 50,000 heavy mortars and artillery pieces pointed at South Korea, over half of which can hit Seoul from their position. In the opening hour or so of any war on the Korean penninsula, millions of lives would be lost on both sides of the border.

" you obviously fail to recognize sarcasm " He is serious; apparently "let them nuke the West Coast" was the theme of Rev Limbaugh's last sermon. These people have no more loyalty or humanity than hyenas.

After watching Israel's Iron Dome shoot down rockets, I can't even imagine what we really have. If NK even attempted to attack the US, it would be wiped off the planet and SK would have some new real estate to expand in to.

Israel and the US have been working together on that technology so minimum we have that. Knowing how secretive our military can be they probably have much more.

December 13, 2012 at 1:44 pm |

JR

The Israeli Iron Dome is intended to intercept short and mid-range projectiles, not ICBM's or cruise missiles. A successful missile defense system would require layered defense of radar stations and anti-ICBM missile installations strategically placed around the globe. We've been expanding our missile defense installations, building new installations around the globe, and improving hardware for 10 years, starting in 2002. They are still relatively unreliable, and have lower than ideal interception rates. The problem is that intercepting an ICBM travelling through Low Earth Orbit at 17,000 mph and re-entering for detonation at 8,000 mph is much more difficult than intercepting a Grad rocket travelling at 1,540 mph. ICBM's also have more complex countermeasures and decoys, that make interception a struggle.

We better be able to stop a missle from North Korea as most of the money we pay in taxes goes into the military budget. Other than that, North Korea needs to jump on the better world band wagon and stop treating it's citizens like garbage. Maybe North Koreans would actually make the country a better plae if they had hope in their lives instead of fear.

Incorrect on budget spending 70% of the US Budget is locked and only controlled by the US Legislature. As for Military Spending it accounts for less than 20% (also includes International Aide for Military) of the actual budget.

http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=1258

But I am sure you can use GOOGLE, BING, YAHOO or WIKIPEDIA to find info too.

Isn't this all kind of missing the point. Unlike Al-Queda, North Korea is a real country that could be targeted by the US with nuclear missiles in response to a nuclear attack on us. It is still called deterence and it still works. North Korea knows if they launched a nuke at any US territory they would be turned into a glass parking lot with our response.

He who strikes first wins...those that sit on their azzes and watch as cowards LOSE....US is a country of LOSERS...Iran, N. Korea and China will rule the US in a short matter of time!

December 13, 2012 at 1:39 pm |

RickInNY

Hahahahahaha!...breath....Hahahahahaha! NK, Iran and China? Sounds like the human rights council. They all have old crappy broken down technology. Our Navy would obliterate NK and Iran by itself. Our Air Force would make China light up in the night sky, fool.

December 13, 2012 at 3:12 pm |

Hogan's Goat

"North Korea and its allies want the US to strike first" Hard fact: if we cut off trade with China, they would be in a severe depression within a month. We'd last more like six months. If NK interferes with trade, China will step on them.

Considering we had red flags that something was going to happen shortly before 9-11, I have little – if any – confidence in our defenses. We hear a lot of "we have this and that" but are we being told the truth by our own government? Official honesty is something that's somewhat of a foreign concept, and if they tell me the sun is shining, I go to the window to verify their story.

China wouldn't let North Korea launch nuclear missile against USA because China doesn't want any occupiers near their border. Therefore China has NK on their leash and wouldn't hesitate to wipe them off if NK keeps acting like 5 years old.

China's motive to stop NK would be more about not giving the U.S. an excuse to destroy NK's government or allow SK to take over NK territory. China knows the US wouldn't blame it for an NK attack against the U.S. BUT, I bet you NK can do whatever they want... China could only limit their long term actions.. Not short term decisions.

As a Canadian it does not please me to have to say this but the United States is now a complete and utter "Blowfish" !

Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla Bla...we're gonna do this, and then we're gonna do that, mnnwhile O-Bama sits there and over and over and over again does 100% of Nothing !!!

Nothing, this what the Democrats have done through out all of your hitory, spent Billion on meetings to decide what to do that end every single time in your country doing Nothing !!!

IN January of this past year, only weeks before Bin Laden was somehow found living in Pakistan, Hilary Clinton and Your so called "President" {His One And Only Official Job is to act as Commander In Chief Of The Armed Forces}...Gave Pakistan over 250 Million of your own tax dollars...in Cash...to...once again... Pakistan...if that wasn't the largest display of complete and utter incompetence in U.S. History by any acting president someone is gonna have to show me something, anything, anyone ever did in that office, that was worse !!!! The way things stand right now the truth is George Bush and His son JR were probably the 2 most successful presidential terms in your history and right now that ain';t saying much is it ?

Every nation has its share of idiots. He just happens to be one of ours.

December 13, 2012 at 1:33 pm |

bacos

Yeah, and Dork is one of our morons. I'm sure both countries have plenty of idiots. I know ours does.

Oh well, at least we can launch satellites that do something (and for decades, too)!

December 13, 2012 at 2:50 pm |

Pragmatic_USMC

The best moves are those made in secrecy.
The US should not reveal publicly what it can do until the necessity comes and the measures are used.
This is not diplomacy but military strategy.
Why reveal publicly your military capabilities and thus prepare potential opponents with useful data?
The game to play is to let the NK do what they want to and then defend once NK has crossed the line.

The attack on Pearl Harbor solidified what everyone but the public knew, that battleships had become outmoded, in favor of aircraft carriers. The public, however, maintained a vision of great battleships as the military force. The military knew better but kept that knowledge secret.

Hey dude...I agree wholeheartedly with you and I AM AN AMERICAN!!! BORN AND RAISED IN THIS NOW COWARDLY COUNTRY. Before WWII and just after it, this country was on the rise. It has been on the decline since 1960 when Kennedy became president!

And then in 1986 dorkdingleberries or whatever his name is was born, and then this country was really on the decline, not strictly because of dork himself, but because millions of idiots like his parents have continued to breed and reproduce. Luckily for us, I have this strange feeling that the only "breeding" that Dork is capable of at this point is with his computer. Luckily that is only slightly more impressive than the North Korean's "capabilities."

December 13, 2012 at 2:42 pm |

bacos

Oh yeah, and I have currently launched an investigation into why Dork is such an immature and helpless loser.

What that really means is that I don't really care what Dork says or thinks, no matter how regrettable. I'll just keep my eye on him because truthfully that is all that is really needed.

But make no mistake, if he came near me in any way, I would fire one AEGIS guided cruise missile fist into what is left of his teeth. Hopefully this wonderful analogy will prove useful to anyone on this impressively intelligent posting board, whether they are American, Canadian, Dork, or otherwise.

All hail H.W., W., and Obama! (and Chester Arthur, too!)

December 13, 2012 at 2:48 pm |

RTRA

Try us big boy. It sounds like you are the only one talking who can't back it up. Tool.

well said, biggest mess up in US history bar none, the facts show it !!! The Pakistan move alone, giving them $250 million American Tax dollars in Cash, and then being completely embarrassed, heck embarrassing the world by having him be found and killed there weeks later, by our own intelligence !!!

The US had working missile defense in the 1970s but that system used nuclear tipped interceptors and since it's not PC to fire nukes into the atmosphere anymore a non-nuclear alternative had to be found. Missile Defense works against small adversaries. It would not work against a widespread attack by Russia or China since it wasn't designed to do that (for political reasons).

We have one of the most corrupt governments in the world across our southern border in Mexico. The Narco-Terrorists have killed well over 30,000 people as it is and they sell poison to our nation's youth. We need to worry about what is going on in Mexico not Syria, Iran, or N. Korea.

North Korea is not about to launch a missle of any kind at the U.S. They know that they would be obliterated in nothing flat if they were to do so. We are in far more danger of them selling nuclear weapons to terrorists who would then try to smuggle them in to the U.S. or one of our allies and detonate them. We need to make it perfectly clear to them and to Iran that if any nuclear weapon EVER goes off in the U.S. we will retaliate against the people who made the weapon and sold it to the terrorists. The Communist dictatorship of North Korea is totally devoid of any sort of conscience or willingness to be part of the world community that the only thing that will prevent them from this is the fear of retaliation. Our "leaders" (if Obama and his nitwits can be called "leaders") need to make it very plain to the leaders of North Korea that they will be targeted immediately in the event of a nuclear attack against the U.S.

What makes you think they haven't made it clear to NK that we would retaliate against a nuke on our territory? Are you arrogant enough to think that your government informs YOU about everything it does? That kind of threat is better done in private so that everyone has a face-saving way out of a confrontation, and doesn't feel obliged to do something stupid just to avoid looking weak. Only Republicans think that it shows strength to posture and beat one's chest. It's weak people who feel obliged to show off how "strong" they are.

LOL what are you talking about? Would we retaliate over a nuclear strike against us? I'm pretty sure any human on the planet that knows what a nuclear weapon is knows the answer to that. Why would we need to tell someone that explicitly???

December 13, 2012 at 12:37 pm |

Shannon Cole Bailey

North Korea is China's ally, but the U.S. can not stop China.., nor Russia.. People don't realize how powerfull China has become, and what they are capable of .. The U.S. does not have the edge over them... The power of China, from " Westerns point of view " is too close to the power the U.S. possess, that a sober assesment of the situation would suggest, there would be no guarantee of victory in a conflict with China as the repercussions would be crippling for the U.S. Kingdom...

Not sure where you are getting your information, or lack there of, but Russia and China pose no threat to the US military. China barely has a Navy and our Air Force is far superior. You cannot win a war with a billion people stuck on your own soil. The US has, by far more capabilities than China in these two areas. Russia would be more of a challenge, but the Cold War is over.....

The microscopic arms race with the albeit very honorable North Korean mini state seems only to disturb our neighbors to the north, then south a little friends in Russian Polar lands. It was quite clear the Americans were unready, and quite unable to keep a Russian Land to Air missile launcher from parking, arming, and firing it's rocket into orbit. but just weeks after another "failed launch" and a lot of this talk about north korea. North Korea does not rival US in missiles, but your very loudly projecting the same language to the former soviet empire. Who responded.

What in god's name are you talking about? North Korea being honorable? Why don't you ask why half the country is starving to death while the government stuffs themselves. Oh, and North Korea was not a part of the Soviet Union you knucklehead, they were the puppets of the Chinese. Trust me, the U.S was ready for this launch and will be in the future

dont worry for all the n. korea lover, move there. and you will have a once in a lifetime experience.

December 13, 2012 at 11:55 am |

Wowza

No No No... People that voted and elected the same president do not ask for the military or any private/public company to develop new systems when one of the primary goals is to cut military spending substantially..

I am a lot more worried about a North Korean auto-piloted (via GPS) freighter sailing into a US harbor than a missile. The freighter tech is around, in common use, and very reliable today. Plus a nuke on a freighter can be a big clumsy thing like their current nukes are.

Ronald Reagan when meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev said something to the effect that if martians were to attack, the USA and Russia would be allys. It would make more sense for every nation in the world to develop and contribute a UN administered World Missle Defense System that would protect every nation against attack. These nations incude Iran, North Korea, or any other unstable nation. Also, this should protect the Super Powers against another Super Power threatening it with weapons of mass destruction. Additionally, the system might have applications from defending US from Extra-terrestrial threats like comets, asteroids, and other risks.

What a foolish, or rather childish, view. The United Nations has accomplished almost nothing to bnetter the world in the last 30 years. NATO has accomplished far more, because unlike the U.N. they can make a decision and act upon it.

Well you can be certain that the Pentagon is happy about this launch –another chance to fleece teh American People of their hard earned money so that this group can get fat and happy –this stuff is all a charade to keep the budget deficit up there –under the guise of fear–we cant settle the budget issue and now were talkiing about missile sytems–for Gods sake when are the American People going to wake up - The Chines probably told them to send it so we could continue to run up the dificit. It is such a sham

we sure would save a lot of money and have a much more prosperous economy! you guys act like the rest of the world is just waiting to blow us up. do you really believe that?

December 13, 2012 at 11:17 am |

Samir

Those who have no military are bound to be ruled by those who do.

December 13, 2012 at 11:28 am |

SayanIndia

Everybody seems oblivious to the fact that most North Korean ballistic missiles are liquid fuelled and need to “refuel” for hours on the launch pad prior launch, thus presenting themselves juicy targets for vigilant adversaries.

these countries like north Korea are flooded with anti American propaganda starting in childhood. that's one reason it is still a communist country, while here north Korea, no.big deal, if you were raised everyday to fear and hate something, if one day you got a chance to hurt it, you probably eventually would. it might not be the government, the country could fall into civil war, there could be a coo, a rogue General, it is a possibility a version of this rocket could be aimed at us.

Why is it that when dumb people can't defend their arguement, they attack others? Do you feel so insecure in your statements that you have to accuse the US of "warmongering" instead of putting "all that moneyinto jobs and schools"? Did you really accuse someone of not knowing the facts in one post, then say that we're not at war with the DPRK in another? Have you really, actually implied that anyone has used nuclear weapons at ANY point in history aside from the United States on two targets during WWII? I think that you're just trolling, because I fail to comprehend how anyone could actually be stupid and still remain conscious.

December 13, 2012 at 9:12 am |

SayanIndia

@matt, Hasten the coup by shooting down few of their rockets and thereby puncturing the inflated images of “Dear Leaders”. I do not consider Koreans as dumb whether residing North or South of the “parallel”.

It would be horrible if an American plane were to accidently lose its ordinance while flying over North Korea, and it would be even worse if it fell on North Korea's rocket program, come on mistakes happen every day. Although what I really like is the spontaneous dancing in the streets, now how cool were those guys. Nuclear warheads and Godizilla we in the west are in for it now.

Violate a sovereign country's airspace for no reason? If they did that to us... We'd shoot them down. By that logic, they'd have the same right to shoot us down. Sounds like a really bad idea to me....

Do you honestly think that we(the U.S.) don't have countries out there that want us removed from the human population? I always considered some extreme liberals to be a bit slow, but seriously? Do you follow the news, or perhaps read history books?

December 13, 2012 at 1:14 pm |

Ahem

Stupidity is Ranting

December 13, 2012 at 3:36 pm |

SayanIndia

Air Launched Hit-to-Kill (ALHTK) concept will gather momentum with Lockheed Martin air launched Patriot and Raytheon Network Centric Air Defence Element (NCADE) to take out the “villains” in the boost phase.

Did anybody bother to notice the trajectory of the rocket? It went to the southwest – not toward the east – toward the US. Read the stories for trajectory content only. N Korea did that for a reason.

It was a much riskier trajectory with the possibility of debris coming down in populated areas – areas that could recover parts of the rocket for study or cause a real poliical mess. Instead the N Koreans chose to take a chance.

What is their purpose for firing in that direction? I'd really like to know or at least read something approaching informed intellectual interpretation. American media is too jacked up and self-important to bother to ask the question.

it doesnt matter....even if we were under a grave nuclear threat from north korea.... under president obama we would do absolutely nothing but talk about it everyday for the next six months.... just like iran.... just like benghazi libya..... just like syria.... wont do anything.....

rothschild bank have 2 more countries to own untill it holds the complete global financial system.
they have recently converted libya, serya, iraq, tran... (see the pattern here)
soon money will have no value because it will be owned by one company.... then what next??

I disagree with your banking assumptions. Iran recently brokered oil sales to Turkey using GOLD as an exchange medium. This created two problems.
1. The commerce in oil violated a NATO boycott of trade with Iran. Turkey is a primary member of NATO and Obama was not happy about it.
2. The exchange medium was gold, not dollars – not worthless western currency. The trade in oil had been approved by NATO for Turkey, but not the use of gold as payment. The hollering was all about using gold instead of western banking currency (dollars or euros).

I think you're on the right track about the influence of the western financial cartel. One of the biggest political issues today isn't terrorism or regional politics. It's the economy and the financial struggle to continue to maintain western financial hegemony over the planet. With the rise in middle east oil and chinese manufacturing, the west is in serious trouble.

but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

December 13, 2012 at 8:33 am |

Mandrake

Sorry, but could you please point to "serya" and "tran" on a map for us all? Cause if you ask me, they're about as real as the "Rothschild Conspiracy".

This makes sense when you consider how much money is being spent on our military-industrial complex... someone is profiting from all that money (think: the likes of Haliburton, Raytheon, etc) and they're not eager to have their cashflow cut off!

Whether you like it or not AMERICA is the mightiest whether you like it or not. If you don't like it please GET OUT NOW. They will hit any aggressors believe it or not. We don't want dictators and those small nations that think can equal America. Please America go ahead please go. Have you forgotten it is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?

Google the Sunburn Missile. Putin is building new stealthy bombers to deliver it. A new type warhead is also available. It's called a TNW, tactical nuclear weapon and is specifically designed for the battlefield. One shot can wipe out an entire brigade.

Leave the country? Do you not know that expatriation is impossible? Virtually every country has closed its borders to immigration. Google it if you don't believe me.

Lose your simplistic answers and blind nationalism. America is in serious problems and fantasies of old glory won't solve them.

"They will hit any aggressors believe it or not"... probably so... so why don't we just not play aggressor and stay the F out of their business just like we expect them to stay out of ours? Why is everyone so gung-ho thining America has some god-gioven right to rush in and bomb anyone who disagrees with our politics and way of life? That's actually a decidedly UN-American philosophy. Land of the Free... remember all that? Freedoms, liberties, etc...?

"Have you forgotten it is the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA?"... no... but at least some of us still understand what the USA stands (or is at least SUPPOSED to stand for), which is not randomly bombing other nations- thats called TERRORISM.

definitely agree with. Im tired of seeing the U.S, "aid" other countries and spread democracy like we were asked or told to do. We have nothing to do with the livelihood of other countries and we have no right to assist them when we cannot even assist ourselves. Why try and manage the world when you have been unable to manage yourself.

December 13, 2012 at 12:10 pm |

Ahem

King _ Jong __ will load his azz and his monkey into the next rocket and get the He77 out alright

Please and thank you does not work in the real world. You may hate it but your ability to live your life is completely and utterly tied to your capacity to deter your would be attackers. And although you are right we won't see an end it is also true is you and everyone else like you are likely to die in peace of old age and although you may hate it it is peace made through war.

War is obscenely expensive and pollitcally risky. Adolph Hitler once said that "going to war is like entering a dark room. You don't know what you'll find in there." Too bad the man didn't listen to his own advice.

There are other better ways to resolve differences. Mahatma Ghandi led a gunless revolution and freed his nation from foreign domination. It can be done.

The real world is not built upon hugs and kisses, but neither does any real solution arrive at the point of a gun.

but that's just me, hollering from the choir loft...

December 13, 2012 at 8:56 am |

Samir

War is part of life bud. Life itself is a constant war. Was that way before humans, will be that way long after we are gone.

Based on the flame pattern of its exhaust plume, the missile shown in the photograph above is definitely a solid-fuel ballistic missile, most likely US-own Minuteman II, or, even most likely its missile-defense variant (it uses surplus first stages from Minuteman II) photographed during a test.

North-Korean rocket is a liquid fuel, UDMH+NH4, type, which produces very characteristic flame with orange-to-violet hues and very little smoke.

So why a wrong photograph is placed here and why the audience is treated as idiots who can swallow everything they are fed by the media?

I dunno but i think mandrake lives in reality like me. We wonder why we got problems with everyone else in the world. Well gee. Is it any wonder if we quit policing and engaging in entangling alliances maybe 9/11 might never of happened.

I have a proposal. In view of this action and the soon to be equally armed Iran,let us scrap much of our missile defense systems around the World and gut our Defense Budget. That will show them we mean business by golly.

If America didnt act like the self-elected boss of the world all the time (we're not), we wouldn't have to worry about every piddling little developing nation that was developing arms. We make ourselves a target. This saber-rattling and boosting of the military-industrial complex is sickening.

Mandrake you are a dick. We have been the only power to use nukes and have not used them since. The stakes are higher. We are mature. Others are unproven saber rattlers. Walk softly and carry a big stick.

To "use nukes"? A google-search indicates that a number of other countries (Russia/USSR, France, the U.K., China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and possibly Israel) have exploded nuclear weapons as part of the testing for their own nuclear programs.

Yes, others may gang up on us and possibly defeat. BUT, YOU ARE GONNA GET HURT! YOU ARE GONNA KNOW YOU WERE IN A FIGHT AND WHEN THEY REACH MY HOME I WILL GO DOWN FIGHTING!
American's are not evil, bad people! I would guess where ever you live and whatever your beliefs are you must have no bad, evil folks! Thought there are good and bad/evil in all parts of the world. Bet ya the good far outnumber the bad.
OVERRATED...MURDEROUS...YOU ARE WRONG!

Their little "Model T" comm sat is probably powered by a 1V turbine driven by a gerbil wheel. These guys are nothing more than screaming babies at the kiddies' table, hoping their bad behavior merits a little attention from the grown-ups. Instead of paying their bluster undo concern, we should just send them to bed without supper.

Yeah. Then we can have Hiroshima or Dresden on our consciences again, with 100,000 civilians dead. Brilliant. Do you really think that will do any good besides making the rest of the world hate us even more rhan they already do?

JUST PUTTIN THIS OUT EVERYONE, THE ROCKET THAT NORTH KOREA SHOT WAS ACTUALLY A SATELITE THAT WAS MOUNTED IN THE INSIDE. PEOPLE KEEP BLABERING ABOUT IT WAS A MISSLE TRYING TO TEST NUCLEAR MISSLES. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED CORRECT INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT IT WAS, IT WAS FLYING OVER OKINAWA WHEN I WAS AT SCHOOL SO PLEASE LISTEN TO ME. THERE NOT TRYING TO HURT US IT WAS JUST A STAGE 1 AND STAGE 2 SATELITE THAT WAS FULLY SUCCESSFUL ON ENTERING OUTSIDE OUR ATMOSPHER THANK YOU AND BELIEVE ME.

Mandrake, if you knew your history you'd know that in fact we actually are at war with North Korea. A peace treaty has never been signed, only a cease fire. The North Koreans hate us because we have prevented them from invading the South for the past 60 years. I was stationed over there in the 80s and the NKs are constantly provoking confrontations. Yes, facts are facts, but yours are all wrong.

December 13, 2012 at 12:24 am |

Mandrake

speaking of "incorrect facts", nordicg3k...

you said:

"we actually are at war with North Korea. A peace treaty has never been signed, only a cease fire".

the truth is:

The UN Security Council authorized military action in 1950, which was concluded by the Armistice of 1953.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_war_by_the_United_States

See also:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War

Since you were stationed there, you probably should brush up on why... yeah?

Are you really arguing that we shouldn't have done it, in case we missed?!?!?! OK, then what happens when we try it for real, and it's never been tested? Try, miss ... and then try again. ... That is called progress. Just watchng it fly by, and say "woulda, coulda, or shoulda ..." is a little too head-in-the-sand for me. Shoot it down, and then reinforce the fact that we told them not to do it in thei first damn place. ... Feed your kids Kim Jong.

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